NEOGENESIS  (English, Book, Kubo Tite)

Pittsburgh: a sprawling modern Earth city stranded in the heart of a virgin forest on Elfhome. Sixty thousand humans, twenty thousand black-winged tengu, ten thousand elves, an unknown number of invading oni, four unborn siblings of an elf princess, three dragons, and a pair of nine-year olds geniuses. For every story written, there's a thousand others not told. Lives interweave. Fates intersect. People change one another, often without realizing the impact they've made on others. They come together like a mosaic, little pieces creating a greater picture. Project Elfhome tells the stories of those impacted by Tinker and Windwolf as they struggle to make Pittsburgh a safe haven. Some of the characters are familiar: Stormsong, Pony, Blue Sky, and Lain. Others are new to readers. Law forages for wild plants and fish to sell to elf enclaves. A social misfit, she drives a hundred year old Dodge, has a pet porcupine, and saves damsels in distress in her spare time. A mysterious phone call sets her on a collision course with danger as she races to save a young female elf. Jane Kryskill is the producer for the popular TV series Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden. She spends her days keeping her host, Hal Rogers, from getting himself killed as he takes on man eating plants. She's not happy when the network drops famed naturalist Nigel Reid and his cameraman in her lap to film Chased by Monsters. Olivia is sixteen, a runaway wife of a religious cultist, an illegal immigrant, and soon to be a mother. As Pittsburgh plunges into war, she makes a desperate bargain with the mad elf lord, Forest Moss. As the war between the elves and the oni builds to a head, these three women struggle with their own problems, supported by a circle of unique friends, yet entangled with each other. About Project Elfhome: "This collection of short stories, many released previously, provide background and enrichment for the world of Elfhome... the result is spectacular. A definite must read ..."-Booklist About Wen Spencer's Elfhome series: "Spencer's intertwining of current Earth technology and otherworldly elven magic is quite ingenious." -Booklist "[M]aintains the series' solid quality. . . . The girls are endearing without being twee, and bright but not implausibly brilliant, and Spencer's prose remains engaging. The melange of science fiction and fantasy tropes, starships rubbing shoulders with proud elf warriors, is uncommon but tasty. Established fans will enjoy this installment, and those unfamiliar with the series or Spencer may find it an intriguing introduction to her work."-Publishers Weekly About Wen Spencer: "Wit and intelligence inform this off-beat, tongue-in-cheek fantasy. . . . Furious action . . . good characterization, playful eroticism and well-developed folklore. . . . lift this well above the fantasy average. . . . Buffy fans should find a lot to like in the book's resourceful heroine."-Publishers Weekly on series debut Tinker About Wen Spencer's Eight Million Gods: "Eight Million Gods is a wonderfully weird romp through Japanese mythology, culture shock, fan culture and the ability to write your own happy ending. It is diverting and entertaining fantasy."-Galveston County Daily News The Elfhome Series Tinker Wolf Who Rules Elfhome Wood Sprites